


They Faced Each Other and Smiled

by summerxblessings (FadingSummer)



Category: INFINITE (Band)
Genre: Angst, Bittersweet, F/M, Romance, Sliceoflife
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-15
Updated: 2020-05-15
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:28:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24201331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FadingSummer/pseuds/summerxblessings
Summary: {AU} They stood there in silence, facing one another, as their eyes searched the other’s carefully.In the past, Woohyun would have seen the wonders of the world in her eyes—the rolling, green hills dotted with wildflowers and the searching, lazy rivers teeming with life.In the past, she would have seen the expanse of the never-ending sky in his eyes—the sun and moon politely taking turns to illuminate the rain and snow-kissed earth without fail and the bright stars that twinkled mysteriously from distant galaxies far out of their reach.
Relationships: Nam Woohyun/Original Character(s)
Collections: summerxblessings' INFINITE Collection





	They Faced Each Other and Smiled

**Author's Note:**

> I low-key fell into an INFINITE spiral just a few days ago and was inspired to write this.

The pitter-patter sound of the falling rain against his umbrella accompanied Woohyun as he stood there by the bridge that overlooked the vast ocean, waiting.

He idly studied the glimmering, stormy waters in the distance that reflected the moonlight escaping from behind the dark, rain clouds. In the distance, he could make out the silhouette of a large ship slowly meandering through the rough waters that seemed to significantly impede its journey back to shore.

Sighing to himself and feeling restless, he turned away from the ocean, looking out to the empty bridge lit dimly by a couple streetlights and the few beams of moonlight that escaped the embrace of the clouds.

Not a single soul was in sight.

It was not strange, given how it was raining hard.

He did not understand why he had agreed to see her tonight, when the weather was so bad. She did not mention why she wanted to meet in person, but he had a good idea why she wanted to meet.

They had been on a break from one another, to think carefully about their future together.

He let out a quiet breath that he did not realize he was holding, watching his warm breath fade into the cold, night air as a breeze began to blow. The breeze picked up and became a roaring gust of wind that threatened to blow his umbrella away.

Keeping a firm grip on his umbrella, Woohyun shivered as the wind continued to wail, causing the protection the umbrella provided from the droplets of rain to falter slightly.

The rain continued to fall, unrelenting, accompanied now by gusts of wind that made him shiver to his core. Determined to wait for the person he was waiting for, he decided to focus on anything else but the cold he felt. He focused his eyes on a particular spot where the rain slapped onto the concrete sidewalk in uneven, punctuated staccatos.

It had been quite some time he dedicated to staring and numbing his mind from thinking about the cold before Woohyun heard sloppy, wet footsteps approaching from behind him.

It was a welcome change to the sound of falling rain and the howling wind.

Then the footsteps stopped.

He turned.

She was standing there underneath the dim glow of a streetlight, a hesitant look on her face.

She was holding an umbrella too, but it was clearly not offering the protection it could be if the wind were not blowing in every direction. Her hair was wild and wind swept, and she looked drenched from head to toe in rainwater.

However, it didn’t stop him from thinking that she still somehow managed to look breathtaking to him all the same. She had that effect on him, even now.

She gave him a small smile and greeted him, “Woohyun.”

She was a metre away from him and clearly had no intention of moving any closer. Although the distance would have made him take two steps closer to her any other time, he did not move.

He was comfortable with the distance, for the distance between the two of them in recent times had always felt further.

It was by no fault of either of them.

Woohyun gave her a smile in return and did not speak.

They stood there in silence, facing one another, as their eyes searched the other’s carefully.

In the past, Woohyun would have seen the wonders of the world in her eyes—the rolling, green hills dotted with wildflowers and the searching, lazy rivers teeming with life.

In the past, she would have seen the expanse of the never-ending sky in his eyes—the sun and moon politely taking turns to illuminate the rain and snow-kissed earth without fail and the bright stars that twinkled mysteriously from distant galaxies far out of their reach.

They were no longer young, and they had changed so, so much. All they saw now in each other’s eyes was the truth that they had wanted to deny as if their lives depended on it.

Their definitions of happiness differed significantly from one another now, and it was only fair to each other that they let go, before they hurt each other more than they needed to.

Somehow, during the journey they embarked on together, a fork in the road led to paths running in parallel. They did not take the same path. As much as they tried to continue travelling together on their separate paths, the once-parallel paths were beginning to weave in different directions.

Almost as if the world paused and became muted for them, the sound of the falling rain slowly faded away. All that seemed to accompany them was the cold, harsh wind.

Woohyun took a small step forward and she took a small step forward too, determination written on both of their faces. Their umbrellas bumped into each other then, jolting them out of their reverie. The sound of falling rain returned, although it was now paired with the sound of crashing ocean waves.

The two of them chuckled softly.

Even now, they were still clumsy and awkward.

He slightly adjusted the height of his umbrella, so that the umbrella covered hers from the rain slightly and they could stand closer to one another.

“I guess you have come to a conclusion,” Woohyun gently said, his voice warm and affectionate. Her eyes were soft with fondness that could not be described aptly, although her feelings did not seem apparent in her words or tone of voice, “You too.”

“Let’s walk together,” he suggested quietly, and she assented with a knowing look in her eyes.

Without another word, the two of them held hands, and he led them away. They walked along the bridge together, many thoughts and memories surfacing as they did so in companionable silence.

They did not encounter a single soul as they walked.

The sound of crashing ocean waves became louder and drowned out the rain and whistling wind. They both shivered when another series of wind blew by, each gust of wind weaker than the last. Although the wind was slowly receding, it was still chilly out because of the cold rain.

They both wondered at the same time if this was really it for the two of them. They loved each other so, so much. But a part of them knew that loving each other was not enough to stay in a relationship in which neither of them was completely happy.

They already tried, and it was not enough.

The end of the bridge was in sight.

With pounding hearts, their steps became heavier and slower until they reached where the bridge met with pavement supported by land. They slowly came to a stop, their hands letting go of one another.

Woohyun took another two steps forward, then turned to face her.

They were both quiet, a solemn look on their faces.

“I guess this is it,” he finally said, his voice cracking a little. He had been prepared for this moment, but even then, it did not negate or even lessen the emotions that ran through him. His eyes blurred a little from the tears that threatened to fall, but he blinked them away.

They had met on a rainy day and it felt almost symbolic that they went their separate ways on a rainy night. After all, a new day would follow the rainy night.

“I guess it is,” she agreed, her voice also wavering a little. She spoke so quietly that he almost did not hear her over the soft sound of rain and crashing waves. Her eyes watered slightly, but she refused to cry.

They were so good for each other, but she was not the one for him and he was not the one for her.

They faced each other and smiled.

It was a moment they would remember, many years later.

“I refuse to say good-bye, you know,” Woohyun finally said. He had never been one for good-byes, even though he knew it was a part of growing up and living life.

She chuckled in response, allowing a tear to escape. She quickly brushed it away with the hand that was not holding her umbrella.

Taking in a deep breath and swallowing the feelings of sadness that threatened to stop her from making a decision that would eventually bring happier and better days to both of them, she bid him farewell with the slight wave of her free hand.

_“Good-bye.”_

There was silence as the two of them continued to face each other, as if waiting for the other to speak. Their smiles had long slipped away.

The punctuated silence was deafening, signalling their time had really come to an end. This time, unlike the last time they had almost went their separate ways (but decided to fight for _them_ one last time), was their final farewell.

She turned away first and he followed shortly after, their hearts heavy but light at the same time. With the company of the gently falling rain on their umbrellas, they walked in opposite directions, neither of them looking back once.

When they finally retired for bed that night, miles away from each other, the gentle lullaby of the _pitter-pattering_ rain lulled both of them into a reluctant, dreamless sleep.

The next morning, they awoke to a light, drizzling rain that promised new and uncertain beginnings. With the comforting reassurance of the rain’s gentle staccato that was comparable to a calm march, they began their first day in a long time without the other.

Many years later, when they each found their own happiness that belonged to them, both would recall from time to time the best yet most painful decision of their lives, in which they faced each other and smiled, before letting go.


End file.
